Chapter 321
“Sure,” Claire said, and encouraged Tandy to eat up while the food was still hot.
Tandy felt a little embarrassed about how she’d judged Claire before. Now, chatting over the meal, she couldn’t help but start to like her.
“You haven’t applied for college yet, right? So, which university do you have your eye on?” Tandy asked.
“And who’s your mentor in traditional medicine? Abbott just mentioned you were trained by a famous doctor, but never said who p>
Claire hadn’t expected Tandy to be so friendly. “I’m thinking about The Cabinda University,” she answered.
For the longest time, she’d been mixing up the medical departments, thinking her dream school’s medicine program was at Metropolitan University. It wasn’t until she talked it over with Pandora that she realized her mistake. Pandora, who’d graduated from Metropolitan Medical College herself, had laughed and corrected her. She even joked that Claire should go to Cabinda instead-something about sending her student to shake things up at a rival school.
“Cabinda’s a solid choice.” Tandy had originally wanted to convince Claire to apply to the military medical university. But after hearing how well Claire did in school, she dropped the idea. It didn’t really matter where Claire went, as long as she stayed in medicine. That would be a win for everyone.
Dane couldn’t stick around all day. When he learned that Van wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, he decided to come back tomorrow. Before he left, he turned to Claire.
“You want to head back together?” he asked.
“I can’t go just yet,” Claire replied. Never mind visiting the Green Family or the Churchill Family—she couldn’t leave at all. If anything happened to Van, she’d never forgive herself for not being there.
“Alright. I’ll go on ahead then.” Dane left the hospital and had his driver take him straight to the mall. He wandered into a women’s clothing store by himself, catching the staff off guard.
“Hi there. Is there anything I can help you with?” a shop assistant asked, her eyes lighting up. A guy this good-looking shopping alone for women’s clothes? That was something you didn’t see every day.
“I’ll take this,” Dane said, barely
hesitating as he picked things out.
He pointed to a soft,
oatmeal-colored ruffle-trimmed
top
and a pair of thick, fleece-lined white leggings. Next, he added a cozy knit cardigan-something easy to wear indoors or as a layer for extra warmth. He finished with a green puffer jacket that would make
anyone’s skin look radiant.
“You have fantastic taste,” the clerk said, actually impressed. He hadn’t asked for
advice, but somehow picked a set that matched perfectly.
“Do you have any shoes here?” Dane looked around, not seeing any.
“You can try the shop across the hall,” she said quickly. “But we can throw in two
pairs of long, warm socks-that’ll help keep her even cozier p>
“Great, thank you.” Dane paid with his card, barely glancing at the total.
“Your total is $6,520. We have a New Year’s promotion going on, so that’s already discounted,” the clerk added as she packed everything up.
Dane just nodded. He didn’t think the price was high, and he hadn’t picked any designer brands anyway. He wasn’t sure what styles Claire liked, but he could tell comfort was her priority. That’s why he chose this store in the first place.
“Could you hold these for a
moment?” Dane asked before
heading next door to find shoes that would go nicely with the leggings.
Once
he had a comfy, warm pair
picked out, he returned for the bags and carried everything out to the car.
Instead of driving straight to the hospital, Dane stopped at a dry cleaner and had all
the new clothes washed and dried. When he finally returned to the hospital in the evening, it was almost time for dinner.
“I brought you some clothes,” he said as he handed Claire the bags, remembering how she’d been wearing loungewear earlier.
Claire had to admit, he was incredibly thoughtful. “Thank you,” she said, a real smile crossing her face. She went to try everything on and was surprised-every single piece fit like it was meant for her.